The outstanding academic achievements of 11 faculty members who have been named to endowed chairs were praised Nov. 7 during a celebration at the Student Life Center.

“We’ve been conducting these ceremonies for about a year now. Some of you will recall that the chancellor in his fall faculty convocation a year ago announced that we will be announcing 60 endowed chairs over the next few years,” said Jeff Balser, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, who emceed the program with Richard McCarty, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

“With this ceremony, we will have done 45 of those 60, so we are well on our way to completing his goal,” Balser said.

“In a season of giving thanks, it is fitting that we take this opportunity to thank the faculty being recognized today for their incredible contributions to the Vanderbilt community, which are broad and far-reaching into society,” he said. “These are individuals who truly provide national and global leadership in their disciplines.”

The celebration marked the fifth in a series of events to honor the contributions of Vanderbilt chair holders.